impeccable timing
by lovesremnant
Summary: Of all the things Leah had expected to be in life, what she turned out to be surprised her the most. No, being a bitter harpy was not the surprise at the end of the road... uh-uh. She was the late bloomer. It all started w an imprint. Who woulda thunk?
1. imprinting rant, interrupted

It's been ten years, but if you saw me then and saw me now, side-by-side, you wouldn't notice a thing.

How many women would kill just to be able to say that?

Call me ungrateful, but I'd kill _not_ to be able to say that.

Ten years have passed since that foolish human chose a _leech_ over our alpha, lovestruck fool that he was. Ten years since said lovestruck fool imprinted on that foolish human's _baby._

Now, I have seen into his mind, seen into Quil's mind... and I know their feelings were never inappropriate, never really qualifying for the role of pedophile... but it was so, _so_ wrong. So unbelieveably wrong.

Imprinting is wrong in general.

But to imprint on a child?

A child?

That's just sick.

But imprinting is just sick.

I tried, I _tried_, dammit, to not think about this... I meditated, I exercised like hell, I did this, I did that. Hell, I evened painted my walls and changed my furniture around, I did that whole _feng shui _fad. (I still haven't heard the end of it.)

Where was I?

Oh, right. Imprinting rant.

The other thing that gets me about imprinting is how it has _impeccable _timing. I mean, really. It always happens at the _worst_ of times, right when you least expect–

"Hey, uh, why are you in a tree?" A deep voice called up to me, startling me.

Oh.

I guess I hadn't been paying attention.

Odd.

Craning my neck to look down from the comfy branch I'd been lounging on, I saw someone standing at the base of the tree. Had I not been looking into his green eyes, I might have noticed the fact he was only wearing jeans... no shirt, no shoes. He wasn't one of us, but he sure was dressed like one.

I didn't notice, though, not at that moment, anyway.

Gravity had shifted.

I fell out off of the tree and on to my ass.


	2. reeking of desperation is not attractive

"Ow, dammit!" I grumbled, sitting up as I let the bruise heal almost instantaneously. However brief the pain might have been, it still fucking hurt.

"Uh, er, are you... okay?" A strange kind of zen came over me as I looked up at him, Mr. Gorgeous Green Eyes, forgetting everything else.

"I'm fine." Even to my own ears I sounded breathless. With good reason considering that I had just imprinted and, to top that big thing off, fallen out of a damned tree! And... wow. He had a nice face, to put it very, very lightly. _Damn_. He looked puzzled, worried. Why couldn't he look happy? The way his brows were knitted made my insides churn. "Are you okay?"

"...You're the one who fell out of the tree!" He was baffled.

"But you're my..." _Imprint._ I barely managed to catch myself, having to clamp my own hand to my mouth to shut myself up. "Er... I mean..." His brow lowered, my cheeks heated. "Uh, erm, well, I..."

"Let me help you up." He mumbled under his breath, something about me possibly hitting my head. Embarrassment ran hot for a moment before that same sense of peace washed through my veins when he leaned down. I inhaled deeply, probably a bit loudly, as he came close.

"What's your name?" Again, my voice was so damned breathy.

"Jaeger." _Yay-grr. Yaygrr. Jaegerrrr. Sexy Jaeger._ I didn't notice the fact he didn't flinch when he touched my arm, as most humans did. I didn't even notice that _I_ was the one who flinched at how warm his hand was.

"Jaeger." I repeated dumbly, perfectly content to just look at him.

"Can I...?" He made some kind of gesture, too complex for my dazed brain to understand.

"You can do anything..." More confusion on his part. I was positively shameless for the moment, unable to look away from his green eyes. His smell was intoxicating.

"Uh... I just want to make sure you're not hurt. It's... my fault, that you fell. _Desculpe-me!_"

"I don't mind." While part of me was confused as to what he had just said, I didn't think much of it.

"Well... I just want to make sure –"

"I'm fine."

"That was a pretty big drop."

"I'm tough, no worries." That's what Dad always said when Seth tripped or slipped or stumbled. He was a clumsy toddler. But I couldn't care less about Seth right now. Jaeger was here. ___Jaeger __Jaeger __Jaeger __Jaeger __Jaeger __!_

"That was a pretty big drop." He repeated. Was that... suspicion? Couldn't he see that I would never lie? I'd never deceive him... never hurt him... Why couldn't he see that? _Fuckin' A, man. Fuckin' A._

"I'm _tough_, okay?" Instantly, I regretted the display of anger. Contrite, I ducked my head, but was unable to look away from him, from his dark, luxurious hair and his emerald green eyes. Eyes that were shaded under lowered brows.

"Ah... 'kay, _Raposa. _You're tough, no.. eh... worries."

I beamed. Never mind that I, Leah Clearwater, so-called "bitter harpy," did not _beam_. Wait. What did he call me?

"Rah... pose... uh? Rapposuh? What's that?"

"_Raposa._ Fox."

"I'm a fox?"

"You don't seem injured, physically, from your little tumble, no? I bet you could run through fire and not get burned. Not that I wish for you to!"

"Uh... huh."

"Now I am the one losing you, hehe."

"You could never lose me, Jaeger." The words were too serious, too soon. But I couldn't fucking help it.

"Well... T_enho que ir agora. _I... I should go."

"No!"

"No?"

"But... you can't go...!" I leaned closer to him, desperately wanting him closer."

Obviously weirded out, he jerked away and smoothly, but quickly, rose to his feet. I could have howled my disappointment. I came horribly close to doing just that. I focused on keeping the wolf within in check.

"_Até logo." _He was gone in a flash.

And I burst out of my skin.


End file.
